Users of web browsers such as INTERNET EXPLORER by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. or MOZILLA FIREFOX by Mozilla Corporation of Mountain View, Calif., often encounter advertisements on the web pages that they access through the browsers. These advertisements take many forms including simple text advertisements, static image advertisements, pop-up advertisements, animated advertisements and video advertisements. Many users find all of these advertisements or a subset of these advertisements annoying or disuptive to their enjoyment of the web pages.
Many users that are unhappy with these forms of advertisements use add-on components or ‘plug-ins’ to their browser applications to block the appearance of some or all of the types of advertisements. The advertisement blocking software use various techniques to detect and prevent the display of the undesired advertising. The advertisement blocking software is periodically updated to block new types and uses of advertisements.
However, many web sites are funded by the advertising that is displayed in conjunction with these web sites. In some cases, the advertisements are directly administered and displayed by the web site provider. In other cases, a third party provides the advertising for a web site through an advertising server that inserts the advertisements into the web site. The web sites and advertisers attempt to circumvent the advertisement blocking software by changing the types and methods of displaying and embedding the advertisements in the web sites. This results in a constant back and forth battle between advertisement blocking software and the advertisement and web site providers.